The House voted overwhelmingly Thursday to allow businesses to share information with the federal government that could help thwart cybersecurity threats, despite concerns from privacy advocates and opposition from the White House.

The measure would allowInternet companies such as Google and Facebook to share data with federal agencies about potential threats. But privacy groups and some Democrats counter that the bill doesn't go far enough to protect consumers from having their private information accessed by the government.

"Our nation is one step closer to making a real difference protecting our country from a catastrophic cyberattack," hesaid in a statement after the vote. The legislation "recognizes that you can't have true security without privacy, and you can't have privacy without security."

The vote Thursday was a significant political victory for Ruppersberger, who worked with the Republican Intelligence CommitteeChairman Mike Rogers of Michigan to rewrite the bill after privacy concerns torpedoed it last year.

That effort resulted in 92 Democrats voting with Republicans in favor of the bill — more than double the number who backed it last year. The added support gave the bill a two-thirds' majority, enough to override a presidential veto.

But the rewrite has not allayed theconcerns of all critics, and the wide House majority will be moot if the Democratic-led Senate doesn't take up the bill. So far, there has been little indication it will.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, called the bill's privacy protections "insufficient."

Ruppersberger and others want Congress to act quickly on the measure to deal with increasing attacks on government, commercial and media servers.

"I am very proud that so many of my colleagues were able to look past the distortions and fear mongering about this bill," Rogers said in a statement.

Hecast the measure as one that grants a "very narrow and focused authority to share cyber security threat information to keep America safe."

The Maryland Democratic Party is expected to turn to a moderate former delegate from Western Maryland as its next chairman as it seeks to rebuild after a devastating loss in last year's gubernatorial race.

Matt Hornbeck, the principal at Hampstead Hill Academy, has tried everything to end the persistent double-parking outside his Canton school — a problem he says leads to traffic jams and jeopardizes student safety.

Maryland's Court of Appeals on Monday upheld a cap on monetary awards in lawsuits against local governments, turning back an effort to collect $11.5 million awarded to the family of a Prince George's County man fatally shot by police.